The Never Tilting World (Never Tilting World Series #1)
4.0
1
5
1
Hardcover
USD
16.19
$16.19
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062821799 |
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| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 10/15/2019 |
| Series: | Never Tilting World Series , #1 |
| Pages: | 496 |
| Sales rank: | 39,226 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.80(d) |
| Age Range: | 14 - 17 Years |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
The Never Tilting World
3.7 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
3 reviews.
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Chupeco's new post-apocalyptic fantasy brings to us a world stops spinning due to a magical catastrophe, and the two parts of the world are separated by a chasm that divides them. Both halves have one ruling goddess, with one daughter whom they each have kept secluded in their respective cities. Now grown, both girls want to fix the world, or at least begin to understand how it got broken in the first place, and they each set out on a journey to the chasm. Odessa from the night side steals onto an exploratory mission led by her crush, and lover, Tianlan, while Haidee from the day side meets a nomadic boy, Arjun, from outside her Golden City, to guide her across the sand sea. On the way, both teams of people have to face the dangers of the terrain, as well as the magical monsters and demons that arose from the cataclysm.
This book imagines a whole new world, with a novel magic system, and how those magics are used for people's survival in the extreme conditions on either side of the world. I loved the thought put into explaining how they would survive, as well as the different kind of wildlife that populates this changed world. However, right until the end, I can't say I wholly understand how the magic system works, and it was pretty much confusing in the start, where it is just all said as if we already knew about it? I would say like a solid first third of the book, I was like - I don't get any of this but I sure do hope it makes some sense later. Then there's also the fact that the sisters' betrayals are conflicting, so you don't know what exactly happened to break the world in the first place, and even during the book, it only leads us up to a certain point in the backstory of the goddesses and their rituals.
The individual arcs of the twins, and the concurrent PoV of Tianlan and Arjun make for nice alternating perspectives of their journey. It hits plot beats quite well, has a good pace, and is a scary adventure, keeping us engaged and the two romances are cute, too! Also, they have the same pair type - one princess-goddess paired with a gruff personality with troubled past. I loved Arjun's and Haidee's bickering leading to a nice enemies-to-lovers romance, with some adorable tropes thrown in; Odessa trying to seduce Tianlan through tips from romance novels was cute and hilarious! Odessa's slow changes as she get further into her journey and Tianlan's rising anxiety about her and the Abyss were well-written arcs. I did have one thing to grouch about regarding the characters, though - there wasn't enough physical descriptions or even indications of ages of several secondary characters.
Overall, I loved this introduction to a new series, and am definitely looking forward to the next, but the start jumps too fast without giving us enough information.
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3.5 stars
**I received an ARC from the publisher. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
If you know me, you know that I adore Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch series, so I was incredibly excited for her next release. The Never Tilting World was a breathtakingly original fantasy read. The worldbuilding was incredibly detailed, and the characters were intensely relatable.
My favorite part of this book was definitely the worldbuilding. The whole concept of the twin goddesses ruling Aeon was interesting in and of itself, but throw in the part where the world is split in half because of a betrayal sixteen years ago: Well, you have me hook-line-and-sinker. Having the duality of the two kingdoms, day and night, fire and ice, provided a nice atmosphere to the settings.
The magic system was really intriguing as well; I really liked reading about all the different gates that people can “open,” such as fire, ice, and water. However, it also depends on which side of the world you’re in. The ice kingdom has few people who can channel fire because fire gates are harder to draw upon, and vice versa.
The main characters were great to follow as they all (unknowingly) have the same goal. We have Lan, a soldier who has PTSD after returning from a scouting trip where her entire crew was killed; Odessa, a goddess who wants more than what she has and so she follows the magic her mother has forbidden her to know; Haidee, another goddess on the other side of the world who also wants to know more about the magic her mother has kept from her; and Arjun, a scavenger who encounters Haidee in the desert and is roped into her journey as he desires what’s better for his family.
There’s a f/f romance with Lan and Odessa that’s intense; I believe they are both lesbians. Haidee and Arjun have a bit of a hate-to-love thing going on, which was fun to read.
I think the plot really fleshed out the world, as the four characters (two on each side of the world) race to the same place, without even knowing about the other half of the world. Each point of view read distinctly and differently, which I appreciated.
Unfortunately, though, I was fairly bored while reading this book. I don’t want to get too into it, but I do want to stress that this is just my personal opinion! I know a lot of people who have loved and enjoyed it. You could love it, so please don’t hold my opinions against The Never Tilting World.
The ending was the part that perhaps captured most of my attention, so I might read the sequel just because I want to know the answers to some of the questions that were left unanswered. Overall, The Never Tilting World was an enjoyable read, with original worldbuilding and real characters.
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The Never Tilting World is a gripping fantasy novel about duality in all its forms. After the world literally breaks in two, part of it is encased in eternal darkness, situated in a wintry seascape full of monsters and unpredictable storms while the other part is plagued by a never retreating sun in a desert landscape also full of monsters, cannibals, and devastating sandstorms. Twin sisters are being trained to rule these worlds, each believing the other is dead, but both believing they can bring the world back to the way it was. They set out in separate quests with their own crews and try their hand at defying their fate... or perhaps, cementing it.
Rin Chupeco weaves a spectacular tale of light and darkness and the things we choose to embrace. The story plays out in grand scale across horrific and beautiful landscapes of both nature and the soul itself complete with monsters that take many shapes. It asks the question what would you give up if you could have the power to remake the world? How do you navigate such grand destinies and stay your course as yourself in the face of your sacrifices?
Told in alternating viewpoints from each of the twin goddesses determined to right the wrongs and the two people who choose to fight with and love them, The Never Tilting World is an incredible journey from start to finish that will leave you breathless with anticipation and fear for the future. Readers will be eagerly anticipating the next installment of this truly memorable quest full of prophecy, love, heartbreak, and a knock down drag out fight for everything you hold dear.
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